


Breathe

by Fairy_Heart



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-15
Updated: 2017-08-15
Packaged: 2018-12-15 16:03:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11809407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fairy_Heart/pseuds/Fairy_Heart
Summary: A mission takes a bad turn.





	Breathe

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time writing these two. This is set not long after the second season ended. 
> 
> I typed all of this on my phone & the site kept messing up my formatting, so I apologize for any errors I didn't catch!

    In hindsight, seeing only one guard for the crates should have sent alarm bells off. However, the location was so secluded that they figured the organizers of the operation didn't expect any trouble and therefore didn't feel the need to have a large security force stationed.

    The team was currently stretched pretty thinly, needing to send many squads to investigate multiple locations for various reasons. Based on the information that had been gathered, Aqualad did not expect much from this particular location, though he was always wary of possible dangers, so he had cautiously deployed Blue Beetle and Kid Flash. They were assigned to observe the activities occurring, and get any information possible on what was being gathered at this site. Acquiring a sample would be an appreciated bonus if it was safe to do so. They weren't certain what could be in the crates, but with villains involved, it couldn't be anything good.

    This headquarters was stationed in a remote forest with a stream nearby. The rushing water drowned out the sounds of whatever activities the criminals were up to. The environment and cover of night also worked in favor of the young heroes, though, making it easier for Kid Flash and Blue Beetle to sneak in unnoticed.

    Shimmer appeared to be in charge of organizing this shipment. The two teens silently watched as she gave orders for all of the crates to be moved out to the back of the small, cabin-like warehouse they were at. Once she was alone, Kid Flash moved in and took her down before she could even register his presence. Then, as quickly and quietly as he could, he dragged her to where Blue Beetle was and together they dragged her deeper into the forest and Blue Beetle secured her to a thick tree with quick, precisely fired staples. They wasted no time in moving through the surrounding forest, making their way to where the crates of unknown contents had been taken.  
  
    When they arrived, crouching low behind a thick cluster of bushes, the last worker was placing his crate amongst the others, and then was dismissed by a cloaked guard who was overseeing the stockpile. They were fairly close to the stream now, so Kid and Blue couldn't hear any words that may have been exchanged.

    As the worker retreated, the two heroes took a moment to study the guard. Due to it being nighttime and the cloak covering all of their body, Blue and Kid couldn't tell much about the guard other than them being tall. Not knowing what they were up against made things more risky, but they didn't have much time before someone discovered Shimmer missing and alerted everyone that something was up.

    “I’ll run in, knock ‘em down. Then you come scan the crates, we’ll take what we need, and be gone before they know what hit them,” Kid Flash whispered confidently. “We got this amigo.” He turned an eager smile towards Blue Beetle.

    For some reason, Jaime had a knot of uneasiness in his stomach. Something felt off. “I don't know… I think maybe we should just head back,” he whispered in reply. 

    Bart’s smiled faded. “We don't really have much to report back with. Besides, with only one guard, it'd be a wasted opportunity for information,” he countered.

    While this was true, Jaime still felt uneasy. But it would be bad if they let important information on criminal activity slip away, and they were running low on time, so a decision needed to be made quickly. “Alright,” he said with a reluctant sigh. The knot in his stomach seemed to tighten a bit. “Just be careful.” Kid Flash shot him another grin and set his sights on the guard. When they turned their back, he took off, Blue watching him go.  
  
    As soon as Kid Flash slammed into the guard, however, Jaime regretted letting him go. Bart flew back, as if he'd hit a wall instead of a human being, hitting the ground hard. And before he could recover, the guard was on him, thick hand wrapping around his throat, cutting off his air supply, cloak falling away to reveal Tuppence Terror underneath.

    Blue Beetle’s eyes were wide with horror. “Scarab! Why didn't you warn us that one of the Terror Twins was here?” he whispered harshly, hurriedly trying to deduce a way to free Bart without getting him hurt.

    [ _Scans did not indicate such a presence_ ]. A moment of silence. [ _Scans still do not show the presence of the Tuppence Terror_ ].

    “What do you mean?! She's right—” Jaime cut himself off as he turned to point at the Terror Twin and caught sight of a small, glittering stone in the center of the black choker she normally wore. Whatever it was, it was interfering with the scarab’s sensors.

    Tuppence’s hand squeezed tighter around Kid Flash’s throat as he gritted his teeth and clawed at her fingers. “Alright, I know he ain't alone!” she shouted. “Better come on out before I lose my patience!” She increased the pressure again, causing Bart to let out a choked gasp.

    Blue Beetle immediately flew out into the open, sonic canon aimed at the Terror Twin. “Let him go!”

    “Only two of ya, eh? I wonder if you can hit me before I can crush his neck. Care to take the gamble?” Tuppence replied with a smug smirk.

    [ _Recommended tactic: plasma canon to severe the arm restraining the Kid Flash_ ] the scarab suggested. It had gotten better at not suggesting outright murder, but severing a limb wasn't something he could do either.

    Tuppence continued speaking as Bart’s struggles grew weaker. “We underestimated you hero scum before, but not no more! This setup worked as a nice little distraction to get you off the tail of other things. Maybe ya ain't so smart after all.” Blue Beetle just stared. He couldn't believe they'd walked into a trap. And did this mean the other squads were being set up and in danger as well? He needed to radio this information in, to warn the others, but couldn't at the moment.

    In a whirl of motion, Tuppence Terror spun and slammed Kid Flash’s head into the closest tree, with enough force that it left a splintered indent. The speedster immediately went limp, a thin trail of blood spreading down his forehead.

    “Kid Flash!” Blue shouted. He glared heatedly at Tuppence, his sonic canon whirring as he prepared to fire.

    Tuppence Terror never lost her smug smirk as she quickly tossed Kid Flash over her shoulder, as if he weighed nothing to her, straight into the rapidly moving current of the stream. Jaime was momentarily frozen, staring in muted horror as Bart was carried away and pulled under.

    "Now you can stay here and tango with me. Or you can save your little speedy friend. Chose fast, boy.”

    Jaime quickly shifted from shock to anger. He ground his teeth together and practically growled at the female Terror Twin. He fired the sonic attack full blast, apparently not what Tuppence was expecting. The smirk fell off her face just before the attack connected. It pushed her across the stream and smashed her through several trees. Jaime didn't bother to see if she got up or not before he was speeding down the stream in the direction Bart had gone.

    “Scarab! Can you find Kid Flash? I don't see him,” Jaime pleaded, panic on the edge of his voice as he looked for any sign of his friend.

    [ _Scanning_ ] the scarab replied. [ _The Kid Flash is 22.7 feet ahead, submerged_ ]. The scarab made it so that Jaime could lock onto Kid Flash’s heat signature as he relayed the information.

    Jaime turned on the jet pack, the wings folding away as it formed, and raced to where the scarab had indicated. Once he was close, he shut off the jets and dove under. The armor continued to enhance his vision so that he was able to see Bart’s heat signature through the dark, quickly flowing waters. The stream was roughly six feet deep, which gave Jaime adequate room to swim forward and pull Kid Flash to himself, no rocks or other obstacles impeding his way, thankfully.

    Jaime wrapped both of his arms around Bart, securing the speedster to his chest, and then shot to the surface. When they broke the water, Kid Flash’s head fell forward, still unconscious and not moving. Blue knew he needed to get him out of the water fast. He formed the armor’s wings and flew into the cover of the trees, not wanting to be out in the open, in case someone tried to follow them. He stopped in the first small clearing he found, landing and setting Bart gingerly on the ground as his wings retracted. The stream had washed away the initial blood from the head wound, but more was spreading down and across Bart’s forehead and face.

    [ _The Kid Flash has stopped breathing_ ] Scarab suddenly informed.

    “What?!” Jaime exclaimed as he jolted in shock. He leaned forward, staring intently at his teammate, dread washing over him as he saw that the scarab was correct. Kid Flash’s chest was still, no breaths being drawn in.

    [ _Heart rate is falling rapidly. Blood pressure and body temperature are also decreasing_ ] the scarab continued. [ _I suggest you perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation if you do not wish for his biological systems to fail, Jaime Reyes_ ].

    Jaime needed no further prompting. He had never been more thankful for his mom being a nurse and insisting that he and his sister be knowledgeable in first aid, including CPR. He quickly slid Kid Flash’s goggles off, setting the aside, and then grabbed and ripped his uniform apart enough to expose his chest. He then gently gripped Bart’s chin and the top of his head and tilted his head back slightly, checking and confirming that his airway was clear. He remembered his mom telling him that that head tilt was all some people needed to start breathing again. Of course it couldn't be that easy this time.

    With Bart correctly positioned, Jaime began steady chest compressions, trying to recall all the specifics he'd learned from his mom while also trying to keep his panic under control. He'd never actually had to perform CPR on someone before and it was nerve-wracking to say the least.

    After 30 compressions were completed, Jaime moved up and pinched Bart’s nose closed, retracting the armor around his mouth some as he did so that it would better fit over the speedster, and then delivered two rescue breaths, watching to make sure he saw the chest rise and fall with the breaths. With that completed, he returned to doing compressions.

    Every second that passed with no response from Bart was agonizing and Jaime felt his panic rising the longer it was taking, but he forced himself to focus through it. He was just beginning the fourth set of compressions when the scarab spoke up.

    [ _Cardiopulmonary resuscitation is proving insufficient, Jaime Reyes_ ].

    “Then what else do you suggest we do!” he hissed through gritted teeth in frustration, never ceasing in the compressions. It wasn't as if he could grab Bart and fly him to a hospital. That would guarantee his death at this point. “Come on hermano, breathe. Please breathe,” he pleaded with his friend, a hint of desperation ringing his voice.

    The armor around Jaime’s hands suddenly morphed into something akin to defibrillators (he recognized this because, again, his mom was a nurse) causing him to halt the chest compressions. “Hey! What’re you—”

    [ _I will administer biphasic defibrillation_ ] the scarab interrupted Jaime’s protest. [ _We must hurry if you wish to save the Kid Flash. Follow my instructions_ ].

    So Jaime did. He place the formed defibrillators exactly where the scarab instructed and then waited, scarcely daring to breathe.

    [ _Initiating biphasic defibrillation, 360 Joules_ ] scarab said. Kid Flash’s body arched up off the ground some as the electricity entered him, but there was no other reaction. [ _Repeating_ ] the scarab stated as it once again shocked the speedster’s heart.

    This time, a choke gasp followed Bart’s body arching up. Jaime quickly returned the armor to hands and rolled Bart into his side as he continued to cough and choke, so that he wouldn't aspirate anything that came up. Jaime never thought that hearing someone choke could make him happy, but choking meant Bart was breathing again, and Jaime was swamped with relief.

    Bart managed to cough up the small amount of water that was giving him trouble and then laid limply on the ground, eyes squeezed shut and breathing heavily. He was pale, but definitely not as pale as he had been when Jaime had first pulled him from the water. Color was returning to his complexion as he breathed. Jaime kept a supportive hand on his back and gave him a minute to catch his breath before speaking.

    “Bart, hermano, can you hear me? Tell me how you're feeling.”

    Bart’s breathing was still a bit too fast, but it was getting less labored. His eyelids partially opened, but his eyes were unfocused as he weakly turned his head, searching for the source of the voice. “Blue…?” he croaked, coughing a few times and then wincing and curling in on himself as it caused him pain.

    “Right here,” Jaime replied, carefully scooping Kid Flash up and maneuvering him to lay elevated across his lap and right arm, hoping that would make it somewhat easier for him to breathe and be slightly more comfortable than the ground. “Can you tell me what hurts?”

    “…Everythin’…”, Bart answered after a moment, blinking heavily as though concentrating took great effort. His words were slurred and Jaime frowned. Bart likely had a concussion.

    [ _Affirmative_ ] the scarab confirmed Jaime’s suspicion. [ _Scans indicate a moderate concussion. Heart rate, blood pressure, and body temperature are decreased but stable. Respiration rate is elevated but also stable. His ribs are bruised from the compressions. Provided he has a proper place to rest, the Kid Flash should be fully healed in approximately under two hours_ ].

    “Thank you, Scarab,” Jaime whispered over his shoulder. Knowing Bart would be okay calmed him immensely. “For everything.” He hoped his voice conveyed how sincerely thankful he was. He couldn't have saved Bart without the scarab’s help.

    [ _Your gratitude is acknowledged, Jaime Reyes_ ].

    Jaime smiled at the scarab’s odd way of accepting thanks, but the. He felt Bart shiver in his arms and the smile fell. He needed to get the speedster out of there and somewhere warm. He was still soaked, and that combined with the cold night air wasn't doing him any good.

    A sudden warming sensation spread throughout the Blue Beetle armor. “Scarab?” Jaime questioned in confusion.

    [ _I am raising the external temperature of our armor. This will not be sufficient, but should aid in stabilizing the Kid Flash until he can receive adequate medical assistance_ ] the scarab explained.

    “Oh. Good idea, thanks,” Jaime answered, and carefully pulled Bart closer to him, trying to give him as much warmth from the armor as possible. It seemed to do the trick, as Bart relaxed against him, eyes closed and breathing growing more steady.

    Jaime decided to give the speedster a couple of minutes to rest before taking off. They needed to get out of enemy territory sooner rather than later, but he didn't want to overwhelm Bart’s body more than it already had been.

    He came to regret that decision a minute later.

    [ _Jaime Reyes, there is—_ ]

    The scarab couldn't even finish its warning before Blue Beetle received a vicious punch to the side of his head. He was sent flying, Kid Flash rolling roughly from his arms. Blue crashed into a tree, and before he could try to regain his bearings, Tuppence Terror was on him, pummeling home with punches.

    “Didn't figure you was dumb enough to stick around”, the Terror sister taunted through hits. “And here I was lucky enough to find ya too.”

    “Blue! H-Hang on…” Jaime heard Kid Flash yell weakly. Through a squinted eye, he saw his teammate struggling to stand, balancing himself against a tree, a few drops of blood dripping from the freshly bleeding wound as he leaned forward, face scrunched in pain and an arm wrapped around his ribs. Blue couldn't let Kid fight in his condition. He had to get them out of there.

    The Terror Twin suddenly punched forcefully against Jaime’s diaphragm, making him cry out in pain. The armor saved him from having anything broken, but it was still enough to knock the air from him.

    Tuppence continued to ground her fist down into Blue Beetle, making it difficult for him to breathe. He shoved at her fist, but she only pushed down harder.

    An electric shock unexpectedly coursed from Blue Beetle’s hands into Tuppence Terror, causing her to yelp and leap off of him. He choked as he could finally draw breath in freely again, and quickly staggered to his feet, silently thanking the scarab for its intervention. It seemed to be full of surprises tonight.

    Tuppence was still trying to shake off her daze from the shock to her system. Before she could recover, Kid Flash was suddenly there, creating a wind funnel around her, dirt, branches, leaves, and rocks swirling around her as she was lifted off the ground. The Terror Twin could only shield her face, attempting to yell angrily, but her words were swallowed by the wind.

    Kid Flash could only manage to keep up the wind funnel for about ten seconds before it became too much on his already strained body. He fell to his hands and knees, panting, pale, and sweat mixed with blood sliding down his face. Everything was shifting and spinning and he felt like he might puke or pass out any second.

    Tuppence began to fall as the wind funnel dissipated, still slightly disoriented. Blue Beetle didn't waste the opportunity. He quickly flew up to get an appropriate angle and fired two staples at her, one catching her around the chest and the other around the stomach as they locked her to the ground. Blue fired two more staples to secure her legs. The Terror sister still appeared disoriented and probably wouldn't to get up right away, but he wasn't taking any chances.

    Jaime hurried over and landed next to Bart, who was no longer panting as rapidly, but still didn't look very good. Jaime gently placed a hand on Bart’s back. The speedster was shaking. “Hermano, you ok? We have to get out of here, and fast!” Who knew if Tuppence had called for back up or not before finding them. Jaime didn't want to wait around and find out.

    Bart barely registered Jaime speaking to him. He was hardly keeping himself upright at this point. His whole body was aching, his head was pounding, it stung when he breathed, and yeah, he was definitely going to puke. He managed to force himself up, slipping out of Jaime’s attempt at supporting him upright, and stumbled toward a close by bush, ignoring Jaime’s confused call after him. Bart was just able to brace his left hand against the tree by the bush before his stomach began forcefully expelling its contents. He hadn't eaten in awhile, so it was mostly stomach acid that came up, but that didn't make the heaving any less painful or dizzying.

    “Kid Flash…?” he heard Jaime call softly, once he'd finished heaving. He tried to respond, but all he managed was a small groan as his body began giving out on him. He was exhausted. Bart tried to hold onto the tree as his knees buckled, but he simply didn't have the strength. He felt himself falling forward, but familiar armored arms caught him before he could hit the ground. Bart heard Jaime talking to him as he was gently positioned to lay in the arms, but he couldn't focus enough to make out the words. He was so tired. Unconsciousness was pulling at him. Bart thought he felt Jaime shake him a little, but it was too much effort to struggle to stay awake any longer.

    Jaime's stomach clenched in worry as Bart went limp in his arms. He began checking the speedster’s breathing and pulse, afraid that he could stop breathing again.

    [ _The Kid Flash has overexerted his body and requires rest, Jaime Reyes_ ] the scarab chimed in. [ _His biological systems are not in danger of failing_ ].

    Jaime just nodded, unable to shake his worry, despite the scarab's reassurances.

    [ _It would be wise to vacate this area_ ] Scarab continued. That got Jaime's attention. They weren't safe here. 

    “Yeah, we need to leave,” Jaime stated as he stood up with Bart in his arms. He spared a glance back at Tuppence, who was stirring some. “The faster the better.”

    Blue Beetle activated the jet pack and shot into the sky, gripping Kid Flash securely against him. Hopefully Bart being out would make the travel easier on him. He headed for the zeta tube they had originally arrived in, glancing around periodically to ensure no one was following them.

    At the speed they were traveling, they were nearly there in under ten minutes. Blue Beetle stopped and landed a short ways away from the zeta tube, wanting to make absolutely sure that they hadn't been followed, and that there weren't taps of any kind waiting for them. He also took the the time to look over Bart, who remained unconscious. Bart’s breathing was still somewhat weak, but otherwise steady.

    Blue Beetle had the scarab scan the area, and when he was certain that no ambush awaited, he headed for the zeta tube, disguised inside of an abandoned wood shed, and finally got them out of that place.

    The Watch Tower was mostly empty when they arrived, as the other squads were still deployed on their own missions and the Justice League members had various other obligations. Black Canary was at the monitors, but looked up as they came in. Her eyes widened a fraction when she saw Kid Flash.  
“What happened?” she asked sharply, though her tone was not unkind.

    “I’m sorry, there wasn't time to radio in,” Jaime explained quickly. “Our site turned out to be a set up. The others could be in danger, too.”

    Black Canary nodded. “No one else has reported anything like that, but I'll send a warning and have everyone check in in a minute. Come on.” She turned and headed for the med bay, Blue Beetle following closely behind.

    Jaime gave Dinah a brief overview of what had happened to Bart as he laid the speedster down on the nearest bed. Dinah hooked him up to the monitors for his vitals as she listened. She carefully cleaned the blood from his face and head wound and placed a temporary gauge bandage over it to still any further bleeding. She placed an oxygen mask on Bart upon seeing that his oxygen saturation level was slightly lower than desirable.

   “I'm going to send for Dr. Cross to come and check him over after I check on the other squads. Are you alright, Jaime? Any injuries?”

    “I'm fine,” he reassured her.

    Black Canary smiled kindly. “You did good under the circumstances, Jaime,” she praised. “Will you be staying? I'd like not to leave him alone until Dr. Cross arrives,” she said, looking over at Bart.

    “Uh, sure, I can stay,” Jaime answered a bit hesitantly. There wasn't much her could do for Bart, but he didn't like the idea of leaving him alone in this state either.

   “Thank you. I'll be at the monitors if you need anything. With that said, Black Canary left the room.

    Jaime looked around for a chair and brought the one he found close to Bart’s bed. He fully retracted the armor as he sunk down into the seat, some exhaustion finally washing over him. His head and chest still ached some from the punches he'd received, but it was more of an annoying pain than anything else.

    Jaime watched Bart’s vitals for a bit and then let his mind sort of blank out.

    Dr. Cross arrived a short while later. He asked Jaime for an explanation on what had happened to Bart when he got to the med bay, as Black Canary had only given him brief details. He listened as he began examining Bart, cleaning and redressing the head wound, a good portion of which has already healed. Dr. Cross removed the oxygen mask and listened to Bart’s breathing. He left the mask off after, satisfied that he was breathing well enough without it. He then began to shine a small flashlight into the speedster’s eyes, checking on the concussion, but Bart started to awaken and groan miserably, scrunching his eyes closed and turning away from the light.

    “Ugh…too bright,” he mumbled as he curled onto his side and pressed a hand into his face, his head still throbbing a little. There was a residual ache throughout his body as well. “What hit me?” he asked no one in particular. His mind was somewhat foggy from barely waking up and everything else, so he didn't recall the earlier events right away.

   “One of the Terror Twins, ese,” Jaime answered him, concerned that he didn't seem to remember.

    “Oh, right,” Bart said, memories of the fight slowly trickling back. That explained all the aching. But he definitely didn't feel as crappy as he last remembered before passing out, so that was a plus.

    “Kid Flash, if it is alright, I would like to finish making sure your injuries are not serious and are healing properly”, Dr. Cross interjected.

    Bart blinked his eyes to focus, just now registering the doctor’s presence. He really just wanted to sleep again; he knew he would heal fine, but better to be certain and not have everyone else worry, he supposed. “Sure,” he said tiredly, letting his hand fall away and turning back over on his back, his eyes half-lidded with the effort of staying open.

    Dr. Cross resumed checking Bart’s eyes. “You are healing quite well, and rather quickly,” he commented. He'd known speedsters had an accelerated healing factor, he just hadn't been certain how fast Bart himself would heal. “I would still like for you to rest here overnight, however. And to take it easy for the next couple of days. Your concussion is not fully gone and I want to be certain your lungs have a chance to fully recover from the near-drowning as well,” the doctor explained.

    Bart nodded in understanding, his eyes already drifting closed again. He was sleeping peacefully within seconds.

    “He should be fine after some rest”, Dr. Cross said, addressing Jaime. “I will be available if anything changes.”

    Black Canary entered as Doctor Cross was leaving. He updated her on Bart and then left, promising to return to check on Bart again the next day.

    “None of the others were ambushed”, Black Canary informed Jaime as she came over, glancing at Bart and then his vitals.

    “That's good to hear,” Jaime said, relieved that no one else was hurt.

    “You should go home & get some rest now, Jaime. A report can wait until later,” Dinah said kindly.

    Sleep sounded pretty good to Jaime right then, but he was also hesitant to leave Bart alone after everything.

    “I've got things from here,” Black Canary said, as of sensing his reluctance.

    [ _The Black Canary is right, Jaime Reyes. You require rest to function at full capacity_ ] the scarab chimed in.

    Jaime sighed, knowing he was beat. “Yeah, you're right,” he answered them both. “I'll be back tomorrow to file a report.” And check on Bart he added to himself.

    Black Canary smiled. “I'll see you then.”

    Jaime headed for home, worry for Bart still in the back his mind, but he knew there wasn't much he could do just sitting there.

    He would be sure to check on him first thing in the morning. 

*  
*  
*

    When Jaime arrived the next day, there again weren't many present in the Watch Tower. He headed straight for the med bay, greeting the few Leaguers he saw along the way.

    Bart was nowhere in sight when he got there, though. The bed he had occupied was already cleaned and remade too. It looked as if the speedster hadn't been there at all.

    “If you're looking for Bart, he's in the cafeteria,” Flash said from the doorway. “He got cleared by Dr. Cross earlier and couldn't leave here fast enough,” he continued with a smile.

    “Thanks, I'll head there then,” Jaime replied with a small smile of his own.

    He had barely entered the cafeteria when Bart sped over to his side, dressed in his civvies. “Hey Blue, how's it going?”

    If Jaime hadn't been there to see it himself, he never would have guessed Bart had been through what he had the day before. He looked completely recovered; there was no trace of the head wound, his complexion was back to normal, and his usual energy seemed to have returned as well. 

    “Hey hermano, you look better,” Jaime said, still a little surprised at the complete difference.

    “I feel great!” Bart said with enthusiasm. “I was starving when I woke up, though, so I came here.” He then went silent for a few moments, and with them being the only two in the cafeteria, the silence felt a bit heavy. “I didn't get a chance to thank you for saving me yet,” Bart spoke softly. “I wouldn't have made it out of there without you. Thank you, Jaime,” he said with complete sincerity.

    Jaime hadn't been expecting the sudden serious change in conversation. “Uh, no problem,” he said, slightly flustered. “You would have done the same for me.”

    “Absolutely,” Bart answered with conviction, looking Jaime directly in the eyes. And Jaime knew he genuinely meant it.

   “We should probably file the mission report now,” Jaime said, wanting to ease some of the serious atmosphere. “If you're feeling up for it?”

    “If I say no, does that mean we can skip it to do something more fun?” Bart asked jokingly with a smile.

    Jaime rolled his eyes, but couldn't help a smile of his own. “Come on, hermano. The sooner we get it done, the better. We can hang out after.”

    “Crash! Let's get to it then!” Bart said merrily, and then sped off, leaving Jaime to shake his head with a smile and follow after.

   

It was really good to see Bart back to himself again.

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not entirely happy with the ending; it feels like it needed a little more, yet nothing felt quite right. Please let me know what you think! 
> 
> Also, the scarab's descriptions of the defibrillatoration are taken directly from the original Blue Beetle comic (in a scene where the scarab actually temporarily kills Jaime during a fight & then brings him back). 
> 
> I know Bart heals extremely quickly in the comics. I'm not sure how fast they intend his healing factor to be in Earth 16, so I made it a little slower than the comics, but still fairly quick. 
> 
> Jaime's mom is a nurse in the original comics, & a doctor in the newest adaptation I believe (I also read something about her being a paramedic somewhere, but need to double check). I kept her as a nurse here.


End file.
